Seahawks meet with Canadian defensive tackle

April 6th, 2013 | Written by Kip Earlywine

The Seahawks recently met with Stefan Charles, a defensive tackle who played his college football in Canada for the Regina Rams. Charles was a teammate of Akiem Hicks who was drafted by the Saints in the 2012 draft. Charles was ranked #1 in the Canadian Football League Scouting Bureau’s September rankings for the 2013 CFL Draft (he finished the year at #4).

He moves very well for a big man- his tape almost reminds me of Jason Jones and not just because the jersey numbers are the same. The most remarkable thing about Charles was that he managed a 37″ vertical at 324 pounds, which has to be a record of some kind. There isn’t enough to form a solid opinion on him, but you can get an impression of him by watching the video below:

Charles is a projected mid-rounder. Tip o’ the cap once again to Scott.

16 Responses to “Seahawks meet with Canadian defensive tackle”

He is a known commodity among all the teams and is not going to be a surprise pick. The size and the jump are impressive, but everything else is not. I would guess undrafted or 7th round. 5.3 40yd, but only 15 reps on the bench, which is really bad for a guy that big, although he claims he had an injured hand, in which case he should have skipped the bench. He will be at the super combine, so it will be interesting to see his 40yd and bench numbers there.

Isn’t the more salient point that the Seahawks found him intriguing enough to meet with? I know as a fan I am always interested in knowing what the organization’s front office/scouting department are up to. Rightly or not, I believe I can glean insights as to what their potential draft strategy will be as well as what type of prospect catches their eye.

That said, I would in no way believe that a mere meeting would necessarily lead to a “surprise pick” by the Seahawks. I remember last season seeing a list of 25-30 private meetings/workouts that they had prior to the draft. Of the names on that list, only Bobby Wagner and Jeremy Lane ended up on the roster.

You are correct in both cases as I remember the Sweezy workout with Cable and the Toomer visit is actually on the list.

The point I was trying to make is still valid and that was that I appreciated your piece for the insight it afforded me into the inner workings of the Seahawks organization. I find it completely irrelevant whether the prospect you were highlighting is “a known commodity” or whether or not he is a “surprise pick”.

I think I’ve thanked you for your work before, but in case you didn’t see it, thank you again. I read here regularly and really appreciate the hard work you and Rob both do for Seahawk junkies like myself.

Wow, that is a heck of a jump. The Seahawks check out pretty much everyone with a “special” trait don’t they? I’ve been waiting to hear if they have visited with LEO candidate Tristan Okpalaugo from Fresno State. 6′-5″, 245lbs. with 36.62″ long arms. Longest arms I have seen in this years draft. Moved from OLB to DE senior year and showed some upside. Probably undrafted but I could see him being a high priority FA for Seattle.
Is there somewhere that posts all of the official visits?

Responding to myself, how embarrassing.
I just went a rewatched two of Okpalaugo’s films on draftbreakdown and was actually impressed. Especially against Oregon and the read option. When TO was the one being optioned he played it as well as anyone else I have seen all year. When the QB kept TO was quick enough to get those Long ass arms on him. Even when the RB got the ball he was close enough to at least influence the play. He seemed to have very good instincts and has a really quick first step. He could be a weapon against any team running some version of the read option. Maybe worth a 7th rounder.

The thing about this guy is that he’s a project who shows upside. He plays against a lower level of competition, so he isn’t being killed for standing straight up at the snap. He plays far too high, but he flashes all sorts of 3 technique ability. If he’s there late, take a flyer and let Quinn work with him for a season. Give him a redshirt year and give him some rotational snaps as the season goes on, especially in the pass rush packages. He’s got some definite tools to work with.

I think you hit the nail on the head. Carroll and Schnieder seem to love finding raw atheletes and coaching them up into football players. This guy definately fits that mold. Someone with his size that shows great balance and quickness is rare. He didn’t show much technique but he didn’t seem to have to against CFL competition. I’d love to see what Carroll, Quinn and the rest of the staff could turn him into.

He is instinctive and moves very well for such a big dude. Good find… Kind of off topic, I think Boyd from Mississippi St. isn’t getting the recognition he deserves. Mid round steal ? I’ve watched some tape on him and I like him a lot….

JS/PC are going to look everywhere for talent and as someone said later, they like to bring people in and rate them. I think they do this just in case some drop to a position that they like they can pull the trigger. Last year I saw they brought in safety Illoka he went in the 3 rd we of course didn’t draft him thank god. I think if he had slid to 4th they would have taken him. So we will see lots of people come and go but many may not be at the spot we want to pick them.
Charles looks explosive but with limited tape I saw the guys he was playing against looked worse then most college talent so I wasn’t super impressed. He will need to be coached up in his tech to make it in the pros. Maybe he ends up on practice squad with Darren Fells.

as many have stated, seems like just a different caliber of player/man-among-boys in this tape and it’s really very hard to take anything away from the film.

Also not sure what a visit really means. The FO is so thorough that of course many of the players they draft were met with by the team before the draft. I’d bet that this FO meets with 50-70 players who are not at the combine or senior bowl, whether inviting them to VMAC, the regional combines, or site visits. It’s not surprising that the players we draft in the 6th and 7th round were met by the team, as this team spends serious time making a draft board completely through the 7th round, and it seems they investigate the back end just as much as the front end.

This guy shed blockers like a duck sheds water! Even when he’s doubled. Excellent hands and feet! That will work at any level of competition. Good burst to the line, checks where the ball is going then zeros-in and bursts to the ball carrier. Very impressive and excellent fundamentals. NFL caliber? Give him a shot and let’s see!

[…] for the University of Regina and is a native born Canadian. I briefly covered Stefan Charles in the not so distant past. It’s hard to scout Charles from his available footage, but what I saw of him in drills he […]

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